Grub’s up in Singapore where authorities have designated 16 creepy crawlies as safe for human consumption.
Locusts, five types of beetle grub and even a species of honeybee are among the minibeasts deemed good enough to eat, after a decision in July. The Singapore Food Agency has also greenlit imports of pasta, chocolate bars and crackers that contain insects as ingredients. One restaurant – House of Seafood – has added 30 insect dishes to its menu, ranging from sushi topped with silkworms to squid ink pasta sprinkled with house crickets.
“It’s good news,” says Nick Rousseau, founder of the UK Edible Insect Association. “Insects are amazing. We’re constantly looking to see how other countries are progressing in opening up the market for these potentially very valuable sources of nutrition, and that then gives us encouragement to think the UK might follow suit one day.”
